PHILADELPHIA (AP) — President Barack Obama is establishing a second emergency board to try to resolve a contract dispute in the Philadelphia area between the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and two unions representing train engineers and electricians.
The first emergency board was appointed in mid-June. That action ended a brief walkout that shut down 13 rail lines that carry about 60,000 passengers each weekday between Philadelphia and its suburbs in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
The recommendations of that first board - for smaller raises than the engineers wanted - were not accepted.
The new three-member panel will be officially established Monday.
Within 30 days SEPTA and the unions will have to submit final offers for settlement of the dispute to the board. Within 30 days after that, the board must submit a report to the president selecting its most reasonable offer.
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